The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-16
Perils of BlOckade-R running.

The American blockading squadron,
which had undertaken the almost i'm
possible task of stopping all traffic along
three thousand miles of coast, consisted
of nearly hundred vessels of different
sorts and sizes-bOnd tide men-of-war,
captured blOckade-runners, unemployed
steam packets, with many other vessels
pressed into government service. Speed
and sufficient strength to carry long
gun were the only requisites, the con-
federate men-of-war being few and far
between. These vessels were generally
we'll commanded and differed, but
badly manned. The inshore squadron
off Wilmington consisted of about thirty
vessels, and lay in the form of a cres-
cent, facing the entrance to Cape Clear
river, the center being just out of range
of the heavy guns mounted on Fort
Fisher, the horns, as it were, gradually
approaching the shore on each side.
The whole line, or curve, covered about
ten miles. The blockade-runners had
been in the habit of trying to get be-
tween the vessels at either extremely,
and the coast being quite fiat and
dangerous, without any landmark, eX-
cepting here and there tree some
what taller than others, the cruisers
generally kept at a sufficient distance
to allow of this being done. The
runner would then crawl close along
the shore and when as near as could
be judged opposite the entrance of the
river would show light on the vessels
inshore side, which was answered by a
very indistinct light being shown on
the beach, close to the waters edge,
and another at the background These
two lights being gotten into line was a
proof that the opening was arrived at;
the vessel then steered straight in and
anchored under the confederate bat
teries at Fort Fisher. More vessels
were lost crawling along this dangerous
beach than were taken by the cruisers.
| have seen three burning at one time,
for the moment vessel struck she was
set fire to, to prevent the blockaders
getting her off when daylight came.
This system of evading the cruisers,
however, having been discovered, it
was put stop to by very ingenious
method, by which several vessels were
captured and an end put to that little
game. OF course can only con lecture
the way in which it was done, but it
seemed to me to be thus: AT the eX-
IRENE end of the line of blockaders lay
one of them with kedge-anchor,
drawn so close to the shore that she
left very little space for the blockade
runner to pass between her and the
beach. The captain of the runner,
however, trusting to his vessels speed
and invisibiity, dashed through this
space, and having got by the cruiser
thought himself safe. Poor fellow! He
was safe for moment, but in such a
trap that his only chance of getting out
of it was by running on shore or giving
up, for no sooner had he passed than
up went a rocket from the cruiser who
had seen the runner rush by, and who
now moved little further in toward
the shore, so as to stop her egress by
the way she went in; and the other
vessels closing round by prearranged
plan, the capture or destruction of the
blockade-runnerw was certainty. Some
of the captains most puckily ran their
vessels on shore and frequently sue
ceeded in setting fire to them, but the
boats of the cruisers were sometimes
too sharp in their movements to admit
of this being done, and the treatment
of those who tried to destroy their
NtSSClo WAS an SOIlJ W say, very
barbarous and unnecessary. Moreover
men who tried to escape by jumping
overheard after the vessel was on shore
were often fired at by grape and shell
in what seemed to me very unjustif-
able manner. Great allowance, how
ever, must be made for the men-of-
wars men, who, after many hard nights
of dreary watching constantly under
way, saw their well-earned prize es-
Gaping by being run on shore and SET
fire to just as they imagined they had
got possession. On several occasions
they have been content to tow the empty
shell of an iron vessel off the shore, hen
valuable cargo having been destroyed by
fire. But had left my little craft lying